Gordon Hayward is one of the very enticing second tier free agents on the market this summer, though his restricted status means that the Jazz can (and likely will) match any offer he may receive.

Nevertheless, teams will come calling to force Utah’s hand in that regard, and the Phoenix Suns, who are loaded with cap space and are looking to add some proven star-level talent to a team that won 47 games last season, may be first in line.

The 6-foot-8 restricted free agent is expected to receive a significant contract offer, possibly upwards to a max deal, from the Phoenix Suns this coming week, according to sources.

Boston and Charlotte are two other teams whom the Jazz are expecting to throw large offers at Hayward.

However, the Jazz plan on matching any offers for Hayward and intend to keep the versatile wing player in the organization as a major cornerstone in this rebuilding era, according to sources.

Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek was an assistant coach in Utah for Hayward’s first three seasons, so that connection, along with Hayward’s productivity, makes him an intriguing prospect for Phoenix to pursue.

All of this is moot, of course, should Utah stick to its word and match any offer Hayward may receive. But a team like Phoenix can, if nothing else, force the Jazz to overpay a bit to retain their star player.

but seriously, this is maddening. He is a nice player and could be a great number three for a BIG three type lineup..but if you pay him max you can’t get the more important Big Two. These types of deals are what make certain clueless franchises irrelevant.

Calm down. No one said he was getting a max deal. Jody only said, “…expected to receive a significant contract offer, possibly upwards to a max deal.” Save your outrage for when something outrageous actually happens.

Cold truth. Looks like white players are finally getting their due again. Hayward,Love,Parsons all coveted and primed for a nice paycheck. A lot of players have the same skillsets and talent as black players but have been overlooked for years.

And no,I’m not an angry white guy,I’m a happy black guy. I just see what I see.

What white players have been overlooked? Your comment implies that white players have been undervalued because they’re not black and that’s ridiculous.

You could make an argument that the athleticism of white players may be overlooked, but I think that is the only part of their game that is undervalued.

Guys like Ridnour, Collison, Hinrich, and Dunleavy wouldn’t have careers that lasted a decade plus if they were overlooked. Guys like Luke Jackson, Adam Morrison and more recently Jimmer Fredette wouldn’t be lottery picks if they were overlooked. NBA gms don’t care what color you are. If you can play, they’ll find you.

Not at all. What I’m saying that a player with the identical skills and talent that isn’t white would be looked at with a greater upside. It’s a bias. Those guys get paid and nobody blinks. Ridnour,Collinson,Hinrich and Dunleavy are slotted as role players,that’s how they get used and paid as. Luke Jackson,Adam Morrison and Fredette weren’t given the same leeway to fail nor were they invested in as heavily. Even now Fredette has been shipped from a team that made no effort to develop or use him,and they chose Isaiah Thomas instead,a player that they’re now considering letting go. Even this year’s draft, a scoring machine like Doug McDermott is slotted to fit a role like Kyle Korver in Chicago,Nik Stauskas is being questioned because they have McLemore. Not even a consideration that he could take his spot. So yes, I do think they are overlooked,underappreciated and undervalued.

I rather develop T.J Warren at the three this year. Gordon is a 10-12 million dollar guy in my eyes. That’s just my opinion. Max players have the ability to take THEIR team over the hump. I don’t think Gordon has proved he can do that from his time in the league.

I don’t know how you would regulate this kind of stuff. Robin Lopez has a max deal too right? It’s a domino effect. All it takes is one subpar player A to get a max deal, then if player B has a better year he can demand the max, and so on. Eventually over half the league will be max guys.

Heyward is a smart player with talent. Coaches like that. He can actually make a team better at all times. Every team in the league would take him over Josh Smith and look how much he makes! Heyward is easily worth 12 mill a year.

Hayward as unwittingly mentioned is a deeply overrated player! The most overrated player in the NBA and worth not close to the low end of a max K. His real current deserved value is about $9 M.

Some claim his is efficient. So how does shooting .413, w/ his higher than avg. turnover rate, poor D, and his high # of minutes (36.5 mpg)- for an SF – result into “efficiency” is beyond me?!

And if Hayward is as so good as he’s touted in NBA front offices, then why – for a player entering in his prime age – the Jazz are a bottom NBA team when they had plentiful of good young talent around him !?

….. for Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Marvin Williams, Alec Burks, and Trey Burke are no slouches. (Okay well maybe Marvin is a bit of a slouch, but still..)

And don’t forget having Al Jefferson, Mo, and Millsap the year before. IF Gordon Hayward were soo darn good as claimed, then that ’12-’13 team SURELY would have been a *playoff level team. But were not.